


Her Healing Grace

by DreamDragon31



Series: Aftermath [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Aftermath, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Good Parent Melissa, Good Theo Raeken, Happy Ending, Homeless Theo Raeken, Mama McCall, No Romance, Post Episode 6X20, Post series finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 10:10:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13385622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamDragon31/pseuds/DreamDragon31
Summary: Ever since he came back from hell, there's been one person Theo has feared and avoided being alone with: Scott's mother, Melissa. Now, in the immediate aftermath of the battle at the hospital, dealing with the sudden influx of emotions he'd been avoiding triggered by taking Gabe's pain, he finds himself alone with her for the first time. Will she remind him of all the pain he caused or will she offer the one thing he so desperately needs? Forgiveness.





	Her Healing Grace

**Author's Note:**

> In continuing with my love of exploring parent/child dynamics, I had the idea for this story after watching the series finale for the 1000th time. Theo's redemption arc was one of the best throughout the whole series and I only wish that we had gotten to see a little more throughout the final episodes. The one thing I noticed was that there was never a scene between Theo and Melissa in season 6. After seeing her expression when he takes Gabe's pain, I wanted to explore what these two unlikely characters would say to one another after everything he had done to Scott and his pack, especially after he came back from hell. So this is my little one-shot on the aftermath of the battle and Theo's feelings regarding his life to that point. It also explains some of the holes in the plot regarding Theo in season 6b. I hope you enjoy it!!

Theo sat back on heels staring at the dead body of Gabe. His eyes itched and when he reached up to rub them, his hand came away wet. Crying. He was actually crying. The last time he had cried without trying to manipulate anybody had been only a few days before he had been taken by the hunters when the loneliness and depression had overwhelmed him. He hadn't been able to stop them then. That had been a bad night in general. He had had nightmares about Tara who had transformed into Tracy, Josh, and finally, Scott. He had a lot of those nights.

He stared at the kid in front of him. Gabe had been an idiot, a pawn in someone else's war. Someone who didn't care if he lived or died. God, how much he could relate. The image in front of him started to change and Theo started to see not Gabe but himself. He felt his heart start to pound and he closed his eyes against the image. He forced the nausea down as he willed his breathing to relax, pushing down his feelings the way he had done since he was 10. He concentrated so hard on his controlling his emotions he didn't hear someone approaching behind him until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Theo?" It was Liam. The little shit and he had become sort of friends the last few weeks, since that night at the sheriff's station. Granted, it seemed they got a lot of perverse pleasure from punching and beating the crap out of each other but at least they weren't trying to kill one another. On purpose at least.

The chimera ran a hand over his face, wiping away any evidence of the tears. "I'm okay. He's gone."

He stood, grunting as the residual of Gabe's pain made the pain in his own shoulder worse. He glanced at the werewolf beside him before letting his eyes run over the others. Melissa was watching him strangely, something she had been doing a lot lately. It frightened him and made him a little uncomfortable. He darted his eyes away and glanced at Mason and Corey, relieved to see they were both fine. He didn't thing Scott would take too kindly if something had happened to anybody in his pack and his mother with Theo on watch. The other kid, Nolan he thought was his name, he could really care less about. He started the whole thing. The kid flinched under his stare. Good, he should be afraid. 

Theo opened his mouth, a question on his lips, but was interrupted when the elevator doors opened again. He redirected his attention towards the doors, claws out, ready to spring into action again in case it was more hunters. He immediately backed down when Stilinski, Parrish, and Scott's dad exited, all of them holding their guns ready. He flinched at the sight of them, a phantom pain spreading from the very real pain in his shoulder over his chest. He quickly hid it in hopes that no one saw his reaction, but didn't see Melissa watching him. 

Stilinski stepped forward, lowering his gun. "Everyone okay?"

A chorus of yeahs echoed through the hallway. McCall went to his ex-wife's side while Stilinski and Parrish moved through the hallways, checking on the down men and handcuffing the few that were still alive. When the Sheriff approached Theo and Liam, the chimera stepped back and pressed himself against the wall, not liking the look of scrutiny he was getting. He was fully aware the Sheriff didn't like him, one reason being that he had nearly killed the man in order to provide a distraction to Stiles. He had caused the man's son immeasurable pain and set in motion the plan that forced Stiles to take a life even in self-defense. The hatred was justified. Still, he had helped get the confession out of Jiang and Tierney and had been somewhat willing to fight alongside Scott that night. Since then, he had been doing everything he could to help defeat the hunters. He just wasn't sure the Sheriff cared about any of that.

"What happened?" Stilinski asked. He glanced at the body of the boy next to the medicine cabinets.

"Hunters," Liam responded. "They came to kill the three teens that are in ICU. Theo and I managed to take most of them out but Gabe had a slightly larger weapon. He got off several rounds before I could stop him. In happened so fast. We were wrestling for the gun. Next thing I know I hear a click, a gunshot, and I ducked. He didn't."

The Sheriff shook his head, sadly. "Such a waste. No child should die like that. Betrayed by his own side." Theo personally agreed, but remained silent. Stilinski turned and looked him over, seeing the red blood dripping down his arm and soaking his shirt. Liam was favoring his leg, hunched over slightly to hold at the wound. "You two okay?"

Before either could answer, Melissa spoke. "Liam and Theo were both shot. By that kid's gun."

"We should get you both looked at," Stilinski stated. 

Theo shook his head. There were more pressing matters to attend to other than him. He would heal eventually. He just needed to dig the bullet out. That was something he could do on his own if he ever got back to his truck. "I'm okay. Really. Liam should definitely get looked at though."

Both Stilinski and Melissa looked at him in surprise, but before either could say anything, a voice yelled over a walkie talkie by one of the unconscious hunters next to Theo. "Someone talk to me. What's happening?"

Liam bent down with a soft grunt of pain and picked up the walkie talkie. 

"Someone pick up the radio and tell me what's happening!" Monroe's screeching voice came over the line.

"You lost," Liam sneered. 

Theo couldn't help feeling a small sense of pride. It sounded like Liam learned something from him after all. The walkie talkie went dead after a loud bang that made the chimera jump. He forced himself to relax after he realized that the sound was probably Monroe throwing her walkie talkie. He leaned against the wall as a sudden wave of dizziness came over him, probably from blood loss and the exertion of taking Gabe's pain. No one ever said how much doing something like that hurt. He didn't regret it, but it was making his own injury throb.

"Kid? Kid!" A new voice he didn't recognize very well forced itself through the fog in his mind. He blinked his eyes open, slightly concerned that he didn't remember closing them. McCall stood in front of him and gripped his good shoulder with a hand. "Are you alright?"

Theo recoiled slightly from the taller man. He didn't know McCall, didn't know what Scott had told him. He didn't know what the man knew. At least with the Sheriff and Melissa, he knew where he stood. The instinct to protect himself was deeply ingrained in him and right now it was telling him to keep his distance. "I-I'm fine."

The FBI agent looked like he didn't believe a word that Theo said and was about to press the issue. Melissa thankfully stepped up to the pair and gently examined Theo's shoulder.

"Rafe, why don't you and the Sheriff check the other floors? I need to check Liam and Theo's wounds. Mason, Corey. You two and Nolan check on the patients. See if you can find a phone and get in touch with Scott. Ask him if there's anything else we need to do."

McCall looked at his ex-wife and seemed to read her knowing look which only made Theo more nervous. He tried to ease his way sideways. He hoped that with the two adults focused on each other, he could slip away from the attention. He was still trying to process taking Gabe's pain while the emotions and a phantom pain swirling in his head continued to make him lightheaded. Plus, he never did do well around people of authority. He had been hurt by too many people in positions of authority, starting with his parents, to be able to trust them. Since he had gotten rescued from the skinwalkers' hell, he was even more wary. His hopes of a quick getaway were dashed when the nurse grabbed his arm.

"And where do you think you are going?" she asked, turning her headstrong gaze to him. Theo swallowed hard and tried to mutter something about being fine. However, the nurse wasn't even listening. With a pointed glare at Liam, she pulled Theo into a nearby room. Liam trailed behind them like a little puppy dog unwilling to disobey his master. 

In the room, she directed Liam to sit in the bed while motioning for Theo to take the chair near the window. He sulked quietly in the corner while she examined Liam's wound. The only sounds in the room was Melissa giving instructions to Liam, the occasional grunt of pain, and the clink of the bullet in his leg hitting the bowl. She quickly bandaged him up and sent him to help Mason and Corey. The younger teen shot Theo a sympathetic look. He had the distinct feeling that Melissa wanted to talk to the chimera and he had to admit, he felt a little sorry for him. When angry, Melissa could be scarier than any alpha, beast werewolf, Anuk-Ite that they had ever faced. And she was giving no indication of how she was feeling. Not wanting to be a part of whatever the conversation turned out to be or be in the path of Melissa's attention, Liam hurried out of the room without another word.

With the younger teen gone, Melissa turned her focus to the silent Theo who was staring the corner of the room completely lost in thought. "Theo? Come on. On the bed. Let me get a look at that shoulder."

The chimera started and tried to protest, "Melissa, really, I'm fine. I don't..."

She turned to look at him and narrowed her gaze. "You are not fine. You've been shot and the bullet is still in your shoulder. Add to that you took Gabe's pain and even Scott hurts for a while after taking someone’s pain. You almost passed out in the hall." 

"I'm fine, really," he tried one more time. However, Melissa would not be deterred. 

"Sit," she commanded.

Theo sighed and moved from the chair to the sit on the edge of the hospital bed and refused to look at her. He was glad the beta was gone. His heart was pounding so hard he was sure it was going to come right out of his chest and the last thing he wanted was Liam or anybody else for that matter knowing how nervous he was. He couldn't look the nurse in the eye. Ever since he had come back, he had tried to avoid Scott's mom. He knew he was lucky that Scott and the others had at least accepted his survival after he had helped defeat the Wild Hunt. Scott had warned him to stay out of trouble or they would find a way to put him back in the ground. That was the absolute last thing Theo wanted. To relive that nightmare over and over again. Unfortunately, that had also meant that he was left to his own devices. No family. No pack. No home. Completely alone and abandoned. Until the hunters had come for him. Until he had been forced to reunite with Scott's pack at the Sheriff's station. He had been able to spend the last few weeks helping in whatever way he could, sometimes sleeping wherever they had crashed including at Scott's house, without anybody knocking on his window to kick him out of places. But anytime he saw Melissa, he had been with the pack and Scott. They'd never been alone before.

"Theo?" Melissa asked, trying to get his attention. He looked up at her. The frightened, pale expression on his face caused her voice to soften. "I just want to help, okay?" With wide, uncertain eyes, he finally nodded. "Okay, let's have a look."

She pulled up his shirt sleeve to get a better look at the source of the blood, but the wound was too far into his shoulder. "Can you take your shirt off? The entry wound is too far in. I can't get to it."

Theo hesitated and shrunk into himself a little. Melissa caught the movement and wondered about it. Theo seemed to be afraid of something and she wasn't quite sure how to handle him. The teen was something of a enigma to her. She still remembered all too clearly the night that he had killed her son. But after the Wild Hunt, Scott had told her about Liam bringing him back and his determination to help. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen him working so hard to help Liam and help against the hunters. Then, tonight, taking that kid's pain, helping him pass peacefully. It was a kindness she didn't think she'd ever see from Theo. The expression on his face had been one of confusion and fear. She could have sworn she saw the telltale signs of tears. He had changed and it had surprisingly made her heart ache. Maybe he deserved, no not deserved, needed a little kindness himself. Maybe that had been all he really needed to begin with.

In a soft voice, Melissa said, "Here. Let me help."

She tugged on the bottom of the shirt and helped him pull it over his head, making sure to avoid the bullet wound. Tossing the bloody shirt aside, she looked back at the teen and gasped. Several scars littered his back and chest. Bullet wounds. Several of them. There were a few other scars that had faded and were noticeable only to someone with a trained medical eye. A thin line on his chest. One on his right side. Wounds that had healed years ago. The little circles on his chest and back were new, just barely healed.

"Theo, what happened?"

Not looking at her, he replied quietly, "Nothing. It's fine. It's nothing."

Melissa moved into his line of vision and forced his eyes up to look into her own. Theo looked at her confused. Her expression was one of kindness and gentleness. He had never been looked at that way before. He didn't know how to react. "These aren't nothing. What happened?"

He swallowed hard and took a shallow breath. Finally he answered. "The hunters. A-a few weeks ago, I got ambushed in my truck one night by the warehouses. They surrounded me and then started to fire. I managed to duck down across my seats, but not before they got a few hits in. After they stopped shooting, they pulled me out the truck to check if I was dead. I actually thought I was dead for a minute. After they saw I was still alive, they contacted someone who told them to take me. Alive. I might be useful to them. I was in a lot of pain and in and out. Next thing, I knew they had me tied up in their warehouse, some sadist digging the bullets out. I don't think he had much medical experience. It hurt like a bitch. Anyway, I healed and they held me for a couple of days until those other two werewolves came and we were able to escape."

"That's why you jumped when the gun went off while Liam and that kid were wrestling for it," the nurse said thoughtfully. "And why you turned away when he was shot."

Theo looked down at the ground. "You saw that?"

"Yes, sweetie, I did," she replied. She examined him, took in his defeated posture. "Why didn't you say anything, Theo? We would have looked you over to make sure you were okay."

He shrugged. "I'm not exactly high on anyone's priority list. I healed. I'm fine."

Melissa tilted her head in thought, but she didn't say anything. She reached for the tweezers. "Turn around so I can get to the wound, okay? This is going to hurt, kiddo." 

She stuck the tweezers in the wound and began searching for the bullet. Theo grunted and hunched forward as the pain in his shoulder was exacerbated. Melissa tried to be gentle about it and was somewhat relieved when she found the bullet relatively quickly. She grasped in and tugged it out, dropping it in a bowl next to Liam's and reaching for bandages to soak up the blood that now poured of the wound. As she worked, she thought over his words, one detail catching her attention.

"Theo, what were you doing by the warehouses so late at night? It's dangerous in that area on a good night," she ventured, something not sitting right with her. She couldn't pinpoint it, but she got the feeling he was hiding something.

He didn't answer right away as if trying to think of a way around the question. "I, um, I was debating over calling Scott over something that had happened earlier that night."

Theo's vague answer and attempt to forgo details made Melissa's mom intuition went from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds. "What happened?"

"Something weird. I was laying there and a spider crawled on my hand that then somehow burrowed its way into my skin and was crawling up around inside me. I rushed to the vet clinic to get it out. When I went to examine it, the spider just disappeared in a puff of smoke."

Melissa pulled the soiled bandage off the wound and replaced it with another, pressing against it in an effort to stop the bleeding. Theo hissed at the pain as she stepped around into his line of sight. "It disappeared?"

He finally looked at her and nodded. "Poof. Just disappeared. I was kind of freaked out. I didn't know what was going on, so I was going to call Scott warn him and to see if there was anything going on I needed to know about."

She checked the bandage before switching it out for a new one and began taping it in place. Stitches would be useless as the wound would begin to heal itself soon. She was actually surprised it wasn't already, but a conversation from Deaton about Hayden and chimeras not healing as fast popped in her head. He was lucky. The bullet hadn't gone that deep. He might be in pain for a few hours but Melissa still bet that by the morning, he would be fine. If not then, then at least within a day or so. At least physically. She was beginning to see that there was more internal damage to Theo than he let anybody truly see. After the bandage was secure, she helped him slide the shirt back on.

"Why didn't you go home and make the call there? Why drive to the warehouses?" she asked, genuinely curious, as she moved to stand in front of him. Theo bit his lip and looked down at the bed, avoiding her eyes. When he didn't answer her, she switched to what Scott and Stiles always called her 'mom voice'. "Theo? Why didn't you go home? Why make yourself more vulnerable if you suspected something weird going on?"

He wet his lips nervously. Finally, still staring at the bed, he muttered, "I-I was home."

Melissa stopped cold at the words and stared at the teen in front of her. That's what he was. A teen. A child who had been manipulated and hurt and taken advantage of. Who had been abandoned by everyone he had ever known, left to care for himself when they were done using him. The puzzle pieces clicked into place. She found herself thinking of the past few weeks and the glimpses of Theo she had seen before he ducked out. Things she didn't truly notice until now. Wearing the same clothes for several days, though in different combinations to avoid anybody noticing. The tired, weary look. The way he seemed to inhale food as if he hadn't eaten in a while. She had a teenage boy and a sort-of-adopted second son. She knew how easily they could eat everything in sight. This was different. Theo ate like he wasn't sure when his next meal would be.

"You're living in your truck." It wasn't a question.

Picking at a loose thread on the the blanket, he nodded slowly. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He jumped when Melissa suddenly took a step closer and wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated. Every instinct inside him was screaming to run, that this would never end well for him. But his heart ached for it. To be held and taken care of and cared about. To have someone care if he lived or died. Still, he knew he didn’t deserve it and moments of affection never came without pain to follow. He held his breath, waiting for the floor to drop out from underneath him.

Instead, after a couple of minutes, Melissa gently pulled away and sat on the bed in front of him. "What happened to your parents?"

Theo still couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes and instead stared at his lap. "The people I came back to town with weren't my parents. They were hired actors to sign me into school. They left not long before the supermoon. I came home that night Scott and the pack and I read that book and they were gone. I guess they saw an opening to flee and took it. Can't really blame them."

"What about your real parents?" Melissa asked softly, though she had a suspicion.

Theo paused a minute before answering. "I-I honestly don't know. Th-the Dead Doctors said they would take care of it. One night, while they experimented on me, they told me not to go home again, that I would stay with them and help them with their experiments. I-I didn't question it. I didn't want to question it. They weren't real parents to begin with anyway."

The nurse nodded, not very surprised. She remembered the Raekens from various times Theo was hospitalized back when the boys were little. She remembered times Theo came to her in the hospital having an asthma attack. Each time it was hours before anybody came to get him even though he was good to go after a few hours of oxygen and medicine and often it was his older sister coming in looking annoyed. Even worse was when the child had been admitted for pneumonia. If her memory was correct, it had been the nurse at the school that had called the ambulance when his fever had spiked and he had nearly passed out. He should never have been at school that day. Theo had been forced to go even when he had been so sick. During his entire weeklong stay, his family maybe stayed with him maybe two or three hours. She had never saw a child look so sad and lonely and after years of Scott and Stiles, had never known a child could be so quiet. Even Stiles on his worst days when his mother was dying didn't look as sad.

"So the Dread Doctors took care of you all these years?"

He shrugged. "I guess that's what you could call it. I don't really know how they did it, but I always had access to money for food, clothes, anything I needed. I just had to get it myself. I slept in a little room off their operating rooms." His voice dropped lower. "I could hear their victims scream all the time. While I was trying to do homework. Sleep. All the time. Sometimes it was kids I knew. Kids I had brought to them. Sometimes it wasn't."

Melissa felt her heart break. Everything was starting to make sense. Theo's loneliness, abandonment, all made him vulnerable to the Dread Doctors and their experiments so he could be something bigger and better than what he was. They made him think he was part of something he so desperately needed. They had made him indebted to them and they used him in which ever way they could for their own gain. Scott had told her that Theo had come for a pack and now she understood the real reason why. He needed a family. People to care and protect him. Granted, he went about it all wrong. If he had told Scott what was going on, they would have accepted him and protected him, but when you had no one for so long, you didn't know who was the real enemy anymore.

So you stayed with the Dread Doctors," she started. "What happened after they were gone and Kira sent you to the skinwalkers?"

Theo took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. He had never told anybody what he had gone through in hell. Nobody had ever asked. "I was where I should have been. Getting my just desserts." He gulped down the lump in his throat. "I was here in the hospital. Woke up in the morgue and then Tara was there, ripping out my heart. I died and woke up in the morgue and the whole thing happened again. No matter where I tried to go, where I tried to hide, it just kept happening again over and over. I was trapped. The doors wouldn't open and she was there. It happened. Over and over and over. Eventually, I figured it out. I quit fighting it and let her take back her heart as many times as she wanted. It's what I deserved."

"My God, Theo," Melissa brought a hand to her chest in shock. No wonder the teen had come back different. 

He stared at his hands, twisting his fingers together. "I deserved it," he whispered. "After everything I had done. I let them kill her, so I could have her heart, so I could be turned into a chimera. She hated me and I let them kill her. All those kids I led to the dread doctors. I killed Josh and Tracy. Let the Sheriff get hurt. I killed Scott. I deserved it." 

Suddenly, he looked up at her. The intensity in his eyes startled her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know it will never make up for what I did. But I need you to know that I'm sorry. Please. I'm just...so, so sorry."

Melissa didn't know what to say to that. She was still angry at the chimera for what he had done to her son. At the same time, she could easily see that this wasn't the same Theo who had done that. He had paid for his mistakes. From what she could tell, he had paid long and dearly for it. He was still staring at her, his eyes begging for forgiveness or at least acceptance. She wasn't sure she could forgive him yet but she could at least accept his presence now and his apology. She took his hands in hers. "It's okay, Theo. It may time to fully forgive you, but I think I understand now."

He seemed to deflate a little at that, the tension falling from his shoulders. She gave him a moment to gather himself. After a couple of minutes of silence, she finally ventured to ask, "What changed after Liam pulled you out?"

Theo sighed. "I didn't want to go back ever again so I tried whatever I could to help. I guess I hoped that Scott wouldn't let anybody put me back if I helped him get Stiles back. After the Wild Hunt moved on, Scott told me that he would let me live as long as I stayed out of trouble. I still don't know why he did." With a soft snort, he looked up at Melissa. "Your son is almost too good of a man to be real sometimes. I'm not sure how he manages it. He's definitely a better man than me."

"He is a good man. And a good friend," Melissa said, pointedly. She gave him a small smile. 

Theo nodded, then looked back down at his hands. "It was great being given a second chance but I had no where to go. No family. No friends. I still had access to the account the Dread Doctors had set up but that money was dwindling. I could either use it for an apartment for a few months or use it to eat. I chose to eat and use it for gas for my truck. After that, I just kind of floated around. I slept where I could, but usually one of the sheriff's deputies would find me, make me move my truck. Between that and the nightmares, I never got more than a couple of hours of sleep. I just didn't know what to do."

"Why didn't you call Scott or Liam? You could have come to us, Theo," Melissa scolded without any heat behind it. 

He shook his head. "No. No, I couldn't have. I was lucky Scott and Liam didn't put me back in the ground to be begin with. I wasn't sure how long that goodwill would last. I didn't want to push my luck. After I left the vet clinic, I went to the warehouses, thinking I could park there and get a few hours of sleep, but I couldn't get what had happened out of my head. So I was staring at my phone, debating on calling Scott. I didn’t know how he would react hearing from me. I thought something was coming, but I wasn't sure and I had no idea what. Until I heard the knock on my window and see five men with guns pointed at me. Not very pleasant."

"And they shot you."

"They shot me." He shrugged agin. "Like I said, I survived. I healed. No big deal."

Melissa looked long and hard at the chimera. "You should have said something. You should have come to us. We would have helped you." Theo couldn't look her in the eye. He looked tired, young, old, and contrite all at once. She softened his voice. "What are you going to do now?"

Theo bit his lip. "I don't know. I want to help fight the hunters. No kid should go through what that kid went through." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Nobody should go through what I went through."

The nurse studied the teen silently for a moment. She didn't need to be a supernatural to feel the remorse and sadness rolling off of him in waves. She knew what she was going to do. Scott may not like it. Chris probably wouldn't either. But it was her house and her decision. 

"I just want to help," Theo said louder, as if his last statement hadn't been meant for her ears. He looked up at her, eyes earnest. "I never helped the kids from the Dread Doctors' experiments. I never knew how. I want to help now. I think I can now."

Melissa gave him a small smile. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but I know you helped that kid. Sometimes, you simply can’t save them and the best thing to do is ease their pain so their passing is easier."

"I-I've never taken anybody's pain before," he whispered. 

"Maybe that's your heart trying to tell you that you not evil and you're capable of caring," she whispered back.

"Well, that's terrifying," Theo snorted.

Melissa laughed, a genuine laugh that caused Theo to quirk his lips. After her laughter died down, she met his eyes. "Theo, whether or not you believe it, I don't think you're evil. Not true evil. I don't think it ever fit you as well as you wanted to think. Despite the things you did." Theo looked down at his hands again as guilt overwhelmed him. Melissa gently reached out and directed his head back up by his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers again. "You're still a kid. Don't be like Gerald Argent, letting hatred and anger fill your heart, and spend your whole life destroying everything in your path. You can do better. You are better."

Theo thought for a moment. "Do you really think anything I do could ever make up for what I've done?"

Melissa lightly took his hand. "I think that what's done is done. You can't change your past, but you can balance it out. I think you can change. And yes, eventually, I think the good you can do can out balance the things you have done. You've already saved Liam twice from what I've heard. And Scott. A little bit can go along way."

Theo appeared to actually be thinking over her words and finally nodded. "I'm going to try. I really want to help."

"I know," she answered. After a moment, she squeezed his hand. "But first, we need to help you. We have a spare bedroom and plenty of space. Why don't you come stay with me and Scott at our house?"

Theo's head shot up and his eyes widened. "What? No, I-I can't..."

"And why not? You need a home. Somewhere safe to sleep. Whether you're pack or not, you are at the very least a friend to the pack. To Scott."

Theo rose off the bed and pulled his hand out of hers as he starting backing toward the door. "Melissa, that's very kind of you, but this is so far from a good idea. I can't- I can't ask you to do that."

She rose as well, mostly to block his way out the door. "Theo, you're not asking. I'm offering. I don't like the idea of any of you kids sleeping on the streets. Especially since Monroe is still out there and hunters are still going to come for you. You need a place to sleep and be safe." He stared at the floor unsure of what to say. She lightly called his name. "Theo. You haven't had the easiest life. You haven't had anyone look after you the way a parent should. You haven't had anyone care for you or about you. Let me do that. Come stay with us."

Theo swallowed hard. “Scott…"

"Won't mind. He'll be going to college soon or he'll be helping Chris find other supernaturals to fight in this war. A war you yourself just said you want to help fight. But you need to finish school first. You need to take care of yourself before you can save the world."

Theo wanted to flee and took a step back, breathing hard. Nobody had ever been able to see this far into his heart before. He wasn't used to this. He couldn't handle this. Nobody wanted him. Nobody cared about him. Why did Melissa? The nurse seemed to sense his panic and she put grounding hands on his shoulders.

"Theo, look at me," she commanded softly. He raised wide eyes and she continued. "Despite what you think, we do care about you and you are a part of us. Whether you're a part of Scott's pack, that's for him to decide. But at the very least, you are a part of our very weird and unique circle and we take care of each other. I do want you to stay with us. You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want."

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. The idea of sleeping in a real bed again instead of a couch or the backseat of his truck sounded incredibly appealing. Not to mention, not being woken up in the middle of the night by deputies or worse, hunters, would be nice. And he could eat fairly regularly. But this was still Melissa. Scott's mom. He had done the worse thing to a mother he could do and she was still inviting him into her home.

"I..." he started, then swallowed around the lump in his throat.

She smirked at him. "You do realize that I'm not taking no for an answer, right?"

Theo couldn't help the small smile that came to his face. He truly did like this woman. She was a great mother, a great friend. She was smart, strong, and protective. She had taken in everyone of Scott’s friends with little to know hesitation. She was everything he wished he had had in a mother. He didn’t want to disappoint or hurt her again. Finally, after several minutes, he nodded. 

“Okay,” he agreed, softly. “I-I guess, if you’re absolutely sure…”

“100% sure.”

“I’ll stay.”

Melissa gave him a warm and genuine smile. She pulled him into another hug, feeling him stiffen with uncertainty which only made her make a mental note to hug this boy more often. She pulled away after several seconds. “Good. Now, come on. Let’s go help the others clean up this mess and check on Scott, Malia, Stiles, and Lydia. Then, we can go home.”

Home. Such a foreign concept to Theo. One he wasn’t sure he fully understood. A home. An adult who cared whether he came home or not. Food he didn’t have to scavenge for. Clean clothes. A working shower. A warm, nonmoving bed. With pillows and blankets. He almost teared up just thinking about it. He didn’t deserve it. That much he knew. But he was going to earn it. He still had some things to pay for, people he had hurt that he needed to make amends with. And he was going to do his best to do just that. He had people who cared now and believed in him. He didn't want to let them down. Was this what it meant to care? As he followed the nurse out and surveyed the Sheriff, Parrish, and McCall, Liam, Corey, and Mason, he made a silent promise to himself. He would protect these people. He would do what he could to protect Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Malia. He would truly earn their respect and trust. One step at time, maybe he could finally begin to heal as well.


End file.
